Transported
by gar-a-ash
Summary: I had a normal life. Brothers that fought, chores to do, ect. But, I somehow get sucked into some parallel universe because of a "jutsu" gone wrong. What is a jutsu anyways! These people think I'm some sort of demon. But I can't be, right?
1. Chapter 1

I don't really know what happened to me. I mean, one second I was doing dishes and yelling at my brothers, the next, I was in a dark chamber, surrounded by a ring of people staring at me. The only light was one trained on me, and seeing a bunch of eyes in the dark was kind of creepy.

I was just standing there, hands soapy with a dishrag clenched in my right hand, a spoon in my left, just watching these people, who were watching me just as intently. My mind had frozen, along with my body, and I was unable to think. Really, nothing came to mind. Not that it never happens, but I usually have something going on up there.

"I thought you said we were doing a demon summoning."

"Something must have gone wrong."

My eyes tracked the voices, one with red eyes, the other with eyes that contained rings. Yeah, people where I lived were weird, but none this weird.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! We spend a fucking week pouring our chakra into this jutsu, and it doesn't work?! What the hell?!"

"Shut up."

I glanced to the two next speakers, standing next to each other. One had angry violet-pink eyes, the other red and green ones with no pupils.

"Well, this is annoying, un."

"Quiet brat."

The next two were on the other side of me, and I had to rotate my head to look at them. One had a feminine outline, though by the voice I knew he was male, and the other was short and fat. Really short. He maybe came up to my waist, and that was saying something.

"Well, I wonder what went wrong. This is most unusual."

My eyes flicked to another shadow, with a large object carried on his back. He exuded an air of menace, like the rest of them.

Feeling returning to my limbs, I edged around, trying to find a way to get away from them, eyes wide and spoon clenched in my fist like it would be able to save me. My mouth opened slightly to pant, the way it always did when adrenaline rushed through my limbs. I highly doubted I would be able to do something against them, but I was sure as hell going to die trying if they attacked me.

"What should we do with her?"

The voice whispered from my left, and I whirled around, unconsciously hissing, resorting back to the way I act when I go through walks in the forest I call my backyard. I never talked there, and if something startled me, I always growled and yelped. Yeah, I'm weird. So what?

Anyways, the speaker was also shadowed, with two golden eyes. Leaves seemed to swallow his body, and I edged away from him, instinctively afraid. Nothing in nature looked like that. At least, not in my nature. Who knew where I was now.

"If she's not a demon, she's useless."

I glanced at the man with ringed eyes, the one who had spoken. The lack of emotion in his voice chilled me, and my grip on the metal utensil tightened. Something was being decided now, and I had a feeling it wouldn't turn out well for me.

"If she's fucking useless, can I at least use her for a ritual?"

The ring-eyed man shrugged.

"Go ahead."

The violet eyed man grinned and lunged at me, coming into the light. My mind had enough time to register his steel-colored hair before something red swung out and grazed my arm, drawing blood. I tried pulling away, but as always, my reaction time was horrible, and by the time I moved, he was already away, smiling at me.

Anger swept through me like a red tide, and I blacked out again, the world fading away though a haze of red and silver.

When I came to again, I was standing in the center of the ring again, body soaked in some unknown liquid. The spoon was bent and twisted in my hands, and I glanced down, yelping and dropping it when I realized my entire arm was covered in blood.

The spoon clattering to the floor, I raised my hands toward my face, looking in shock at them. I knew without a doubt that the rest of my body was covered in the blood as well, but I didn't know where it had come from. It wasn't the blood itself that bothered me, it was not knowing what had happened.

I looked out in front of me, and finally saw the torn limbs strewn about the ground, the remains of the one that had attacked me. Horror washed through me, and I ran forward, tripping and falling to my knees beside the pieces, hands trying to put them together again, muttering, "No, no, no, no, no…." over and over again without realizing it.

The eyes around me stared at me with a renewed interest, glittering brightly. I ignored them and continued in my futile task of putting the broken limbs back together, while that horrible nursery rhyme ran through my head.

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again." What a horrible song to be teaching children.

"That's enough."

I ignored the voice and kept muttering, choking on sobs as I kept trying, because I had to fix it, I had to.

"I said that's enough."

Someone came up to me, pulling me away while another picked up the head, or what was left of it. The bottom jaw had been ripped off, an eye gouged out. I almost vomited, but managed to hold it down.

As the head turned to face me, the eyes flicked toward me in a glare, locked on me, and I screamed. I screamed until I blacked out yet again, the person holding my arm trying to hold me up.

I woke up yet again, in a room so white it was almost cruel as the glow penetrated my eyes. I cringed and snapped them shut again, trying to move my arm to cover my eyes. Something tugged at it, hurting something tender, and I opened my eyes to look, curiosity getting the better of me.

I saw various needles emerging from my arm, hooked up to many different machines and tubes of liquid. My eyes narrowed in confusion, and I tilted my head slightly to the side, again being my odd self. I really needed to stop acting like a dog half the time.

Sighing, I turned my head, wondering about my surroundings. I saw the one who had picked up the head examining some papers, turned away from me and not noticing me awake. Not wanting to disturb him, I looked the other way, wanting to know.

Of course, ignorance is sometimes best.

On the bed next to me was the one I had apparently torn apart, swathed in bandages and sleeping deeply. I stared dumbly for a moment, then screamed again when the arm twitched, twisting away from him.

The needles tore through my arm, pain dominating all senses for a second, and I was on the floor, trying to crawl away from the man who should have been dead. The one with the papers came up behind me, harshly grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet, strange string-like things snagging my arms.

I really needed to stop being such an idiot. I looked, and saw the thread-like things emerging from his skin, making horror wash through me. I screamed again and tried to pull away, yelping almost non-stop.

The man in bandages woke up, violet eyes flashing open, and he rose to glare at me, groaning, as my surroundings finally became too much for me and I began sobbing like a baby, curling up into a ball on the floor.

"Are you finally done screaming?"

Whimpering, I nodded, not caring at the sarcasm in his voice. He looked down at me, obviously disgusted, and walked out of the room, giving the one with bandages a warning look.

The violet-eyes man glared at his back, then flicked his gaze to me, eyes murderous. He opened his jaws, grimacing in pain, and spoke to me.

"Oi, bitch, what the fuck are you?"

I only looked up at him, eyes wide, and he snorted.

"What the fuck? You see a few guys that aren't human and you're reduced to fucking nothing? How the fuck did you tear me to pieces?"

"How are you alive?"

My voice startled both of us, and we both blinked simultaneously. It hadn't been very loud, but the differences between my accent and his were obvious. Being in an ethnically diverse family, I had almost no trouble understanding different accents, but it was clear he couldn't understand me very well.

"What the fuck did you just say? Jashin damn it, I couldn't understand a word that came out of your mouth."

"I said, how are you still alive?"

I spoke a little louder, as loud as my throat could handle at the moment, and slowed down the words. My friends had always said I talked fast.

"I'm a priest of Jashin-sama. He gives me my immortality."

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around this. However, before I could ask more, three more people walked in the room, the man from before, the short and fat one, and the one with the ringed eyes. I immediately distrusted him, curling up tighter in my corner, watching him carefully. My arm throbbed, and my background thoughts complained quietly.

"So you're awake."

I stayed silent, knowing he didn't want me to talk. Don't ask how, but I knew. I guess it was like a rhetorical question, only a statement. A rhetorical statement?

"Now, what are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

He frowned at the accent, and I tried again, trying to imitate theirs. Easier said than done. They had a strange habit of clipping their words, while mine tended to run together, and their 'r's were hissed slightly, a speech I knew I could only pick up with time.

"What are you talking about?" I repeated, talking slower.

The man with ringed eyes narrowed mentioned eyes slightly, looking at me with a calculated gaze. His face was covered in piercings, but by the way they were placed, they seemed to have a use. Yes, I'm being weird again.

"You tore Hidan apart with little effort. You laughed. You had claws and fangs. Now, I repeat, what are you?"

"I was laughing?" I asked, horrified. Despite how I act at times, and where I work, I really am peaceful. The idea of laughing while tearing someone limb from limb…… I shuddered.

The man with ringed eyes frowned, then signaled to the short one, who shuffled forward to grab my arm. His grip was tight on the area I had ripped the needles from, and I winced. He ignored this and continued dragging me out of the room, not giving me time to even rise to my feet. Finally, I managed to gain them, and followed him out the door, feeling the others' gazes on me.

I walked I don't know how long, following the short man. He seemed to be very impatient, and every time I stumbled, he harshly dragged me back to my feet, bruising my arm. However, at least I was smart enough to stay silent, a miracle for me.

We reached our destination apparently, though I really didn't know where it was. I could feel a damp heat emerging from the darkness, and the man's gravelly voice spoke.

"You will bathe in there. Clothes will be waiting out here when you are finished. Afterwards, I will bring you to eat. You will eat swiftly, and we will go to a meeting. You have an hour to do all these. Understood?"

His accent was remarkably similar to mine, and I was silent for a moment before nodding fearfully. He grunted and let go of me, half pushing me into the dark room. Of course, I stumbled, nearly falling flat on my face. Almost. I managed to catch myself in time, and walked in, lightly dragging a hand on the wall so I wouldn't get lost.

My foot landed in some hot water, and I squealed slightly before pulling back, shaking it to get the water off my shoes. Listening intently, after all, who knew what creeps were hiding in the dark, I undressed, slipping into the steaming water when I was unclothed.

Trying to hurry, I scrubbed at my skin with my bare hands, not bothering trying to find the soap in the blackness. I could almost feel the blood running off me, and it felt wonderful. The scent of copper filled the room, and my stomach growled, embarrassing me. Of course, when one has eaten many a raw meat, blood has come to represent food to my stomach. Hey, don't look at me like that. I was too hungry to wait for the food to cook. And I have eaten worse.

When I felt my skin was clean, I took a deep breath and dived underwater, trying to get the blood from my mid-length hair. The strands ran easily through my fingers, and I frowned slightly underwater. Since when has my hair not tangled?

Out of breath, I surfaced, panting quietly. Automatically, I reached for a towel, a habit from home. My blood ran cold when I actually found something soft and fluffy, and my bloody clothes not where I had left them. Someone had come and taken away the dirty clothes, leaving a towel and some clean ones. The only people I had seen so far had been males, and my face flushed at the thought of one of them coming in here. But, there was nothing I could do, so I stepped out, listening as hard as I could while I dried.

Picking up the clothing, I tried to figure out what they were with my fingers, but the only things I could definitely figure out were the loose pants and panties. I slipped them on, surprised they fit me. The chances, right? Fingers fumbling around more, I found a bra and what resembled a shirt, though I couldn't figure out how to fasten it. I put on the bra as well, then tried to shove my arms through the sleeves, grumbling when they ended at the elbow. I hated shirts like that.

Figuring out the ties in front, I strapped it up, hoping I was doing it right. I also didn't really know the consistency of the material, so it could be see-through for all I knew. But again, there was nothing I could do, so I just sighed and walked toward the light, toward the impatiently waiting man.

In the hallway, I saw him and another, a blond with blue eyes. His outline seemed familiar, and I remembered him as the one that had called me annoying. Great.

The short one wordlessly began walking, and I followed, walking barefoot since I had found no shoes. In all honesty, it didn't really bother me, since I preferred walking barefoot anyways.

The blond came up behind me, saying, "You messed up on the shirt a bit, un. Let me help."

I had no choice but to stand still, blushing as he undid it and tied it again. He smiled a bit at my red face, but a grumpy growl from the short one caused me to hurry after him, not wanting to upset these people. I wanted to live, dammit.

We kept walking through the dimly lit tunnels for a while, long enough for my short attention span to wander. It didn't take much, really. However, I soon regretted it when the shorter one came to an abrupt halt, and I almost walked into him. I managed not to, but looked ridiculous in the process. Fantastic.

"You have fifteen minutes to eat. Deidara will show you what there is."

A few short words, and I was left to myself again, with the blond I presumed to be Deidara. Said blond walked forward, and I followed, starving. I don't know how long I was out, but it was long enough for my belly to empty.

Deidara led me to a rickety looking fridge and opened it, dramatically waving his arm at the insides. I looked in and cringed, seeing moldy foods I didn't really want to recognize. Peering a bit more, I found some bits and pieces that looked edible and pulled them out, sniffing them cautiously. Deidara chuckled and followed me to the table, leaning against the wall as I set the items down.

I picked up a bit of cheese and scratched the moldy bits off, burying my teeth in it as soon as it was clean. Cheese never does actually go bad, but the mold isn't good for you. Pawing through the other stuff, I grabbed a few stalks of wilted celery, eating that as soon as I stomached the cheese. It had a slight burn going down, but I've eaten worse. I don't think you really want to know, either.

The bread I thought looked good turned out to be rock-hard, and I set it down in disgust. After years of a neat fridge, this was revolting to me. I picked up some greasy bits of meat, smelling it was still good but not quite knowing what it was. Once I tasted it, though, I recognized the tang of venison, and I gobbled it eagerly. Venison was a common food at my old house.

Having devoured everything edible, I stood up, looking at Deidara. Wordlessly, he led me back out of the kitchen, to the shorter one. We apparently got out early, because he gave us a shrewd look before continuing his walk. I followed again, trying to pay attention this time. Yeah, right.

Before I knew it, we were outside another room, looking up at the door. Feeling a sense of menace, I cringed away from the wooden door, but the shorter one pushed it open, herding me inside.

It was dark, just as the first room I had appeared in was, with a circle of chairs surrounding a lone chair set at a table, the light aiming at it and keeping the rest of the seats in shadow. Almost all the chairs were filled, and Deidara pushed me toward the one in the center before going to sit himself. The shorter one didn't sit, instead just huddling off to the side.

Feeling self-conscious, I walked slowly toward the chair, feeling their gazes upon me. I sat down, trying to shrink myself into the wooden chair. Looking around, I could see the one I had injured earlier watching me as well, and I shrank under his glare. He didn't look very healthy at the moment, and I winced in memory.

The one with the ringed eyes cleared his throat, and we all looked toward him. From this, I could guess he was the leader. Fantastic.

"What is your name?"

What, no pleasantries?

"My name is Tally", I said quietly, looking at him directly. Hey, I may be a coward, but I was a brave coward.

"Where did you come from?"

"I came from New York….."

"Where is that?"

"I don't really know….. where am I?"

The silence was almost deafening, and I shrunk yet more.

"You do not know where you are?"

"No. One moment I was washing dishes, the next…… I was here."

The man frowned and leaned forward slightly, watching me intently.

"What are your skills?"

"Excuse me?"

His eyes hardened, and I cringed yet again.

"I asked you what your abilities are. Now answer the question."

Feeling frightened, I said, "I can wash dishes, clean, cook a little bit, I get along well with animals…… um, I can garden and raise and butcher farm animals……. Uh……….. I can draw a bit……"

They all looked sharply up at the word 'draw', and I wondered what that had to do with anything.

The next thing I knew, a pencil and a few sheets of paper appeared in front of me, making me yelp in shock. A few chuckled a bit, but soon quieted.

"Draw something."

I bit my lower lip and looked at him nervously, wondering just what I was supposed to do. Did he want me to draw something particular, or what else….?

Unsure, I picked up the pencil, lightly scratching a few lines and highly aware of my audience. I wasn't really sure what I was drawing, and my lines took the vague outline of a canine, something I normally drew. However, as an idea hit me, I stopped.

They weren't looking for something plain. They wanted something that would mark me as unique, in whatever way. Closing my eyes, I let the ideas flow into my mind, concentrating on creating a monster I had never drawn before.

Opening my eyes gently, I started the lines again, sketching light circles to mark major joints. A hushed muttering occurred at the seemingly senseless drawing, but I ignored it, starting to sink into the zone I get when I focus on something. My eyes hazed over, all sound was blocked, and I was only focused on one thing.

The circles eventually grew four legs, all ending in razor-sharp talons attached to cat-like paws. A thick tail ended in a sharp blade, and a canine head branched a thick neck. Over-sized fangs dripped saliva, three showing, two pointing down, one in between pointing up through the lips. Four eyes donned its head, slitted pupils glaring at the viewer. A short body emphasized the long tail, and muscular legs supported the weight. A light layer of fur covered its body, and ram-like horns were added to its skull. Spikes layered down its back, and only shading needed to be completed after that. A few gently strokes added a second life, and a glint in the eyes heightened its glare. Picking it up to look over it afterwards, I became aware of the muttering around me, slowly descending back to this world.

"Sasori, is there anything you could do with that?"

"There is a possibility."

I looked at the shorter man, the one the ring-eyes one had called Sasori. Somehow, I knew that I had passed some sort of test, and I smiled slightly in relief. I might yet live after all.

They all looked at me oddly, whispering amongst themselves. I felt the familiar cold creep over me, and I shrunk back in the chair again, putting down the drawing. Something major was being decided.

Finally, the ring-eyes man nodded.

"Tally, you will be trained by Sasori until further notice. You will obey every command he gives you. Is that understood?"

I nodded, voice gone. What did he mean by training?

"Good. Everyone, leave."

Some seemed to vanish, and my eyes widened at the sight. Others gave me odd looks as they left the room, heading through the tunnels. Sasori and Deidara came up to me, and I cringed, rising to my feet, ready to follow.

"Grab the drawing."

I looked at the drawing, wondering what was so important about it, but grabbed the sheet, holding it between two fingers. Whatever was going to happen, this drawing had caused it.


	2. Chapter 2

Holding the drawing in one hand, I followed the short one, his name was Sasori, I believe? Anyways, I followed him for a long time, not able to pay attention long enough to keep track of time. Huh, maybe this explains why so few of my drawings ever get finished.

One thing I did notice, however, was that the farther we went, the brighter the tunnels became. I could see a skylight here and there, and it really cheered me up. The skies were still blue, and that comforted me.

"You will room with us. Make any noise, and we will not hesitate to kill you."

Sasori waited to see my nod, then tapped the wall, causing a door to appear. I gave a half-strangled yelp and shrank away, then gulped and walked into the dark room, Sasori in front of me, Deidara behind.

The room was empty-looking, making me feel slightly depressed. My own room at home had various doodles lining the walls, until you couldn't even see the wall color (I think it was white), and pets were scattered everywhere, between my finch, snake, and the array of various canines. Every now and then, a cat would brave it all to come in a sit in my lap, but the dogs would normally keep them away.

Here, though, there was nothing. There were two beds, and two desks, one littered with papers and wood carving tools, the other with bits of clay smashed here and there. One small window let some light come in, but the rest of the light was provided by flickering torches, lit by Sasori as we walked in. The floor was as rocky as the rest of the place, and already the pads of my feet ached from walking on it.

"What do you think, hm? Just like home?"

I turned to Deidara, and watched him grin cruelly at me. I knew then that him seeming nice was just an act, and I could not trust him any more than I could trust the rest. I was alone here, and needed to find a way to survive.

I only looked at him pathetically, then turned away and hunched my shoulders, feeling miserable. This wasn't home. And it never would be.

"You will sleep in the bed next to the window. Don't think you can escape from it, there is a jutsu preventing that. If you try, your throat will be slit. You will wake up early tomorrow and cook breakfast for the rest of the occupants, and if you don't wake up on your own, I will wake you up. I do not promise to be gentle. Do not complain, whine, or anything else as annoying. It infuriates me."

His grumpy glare was all I needed to nod quickly, trying to memorize all he told me. It was made a lot easier by the fact that he had the same accent as me, though I wondered how he had it. Was he like me, dragged here?

However, as I heard him speak to Deidara, I knew he was only replicating my manner of speech. Quite accurately, but not good enough to remind me of my friends at home.

With nothing else to do, I lay the drawing on a table beside the bed, curling up in a small corner and closing my eyes. I wondered about escaping through the window, but I had no clue what a 'jutsu' was. It could be an electric barrier, for all I knew. Or, it could just be glass, easily breakable but noisy.

With a final sigh, I turned my gaze away. These people were faster than me, and easily more dangerous. I stood no chance if I made them mad.

With troubled thoughts swirling in my head, I fell asleep.

I woke before my alarm, annoyed since it meant I lost a few extra minutes of sleep. Yawning, I stretched my limbs out, reveling in the feeling of the muscles stretching. The pull felt delicious, waking me up quite nicely.

I opened my eyes, looking for my alarm clock to see if I might be able to go back to sleep again. However, I saw only black where my alarm clock should be.

Frowning, I turned to my right, thinking I had rolled over in the night or something. However, I only saw a faint glow where my bookshelf should be, and some short person at the desk there.

With a sudden, painful crash, the past few hours events slammed down on me, drowning me in a wave of sorrow. I would never go home again, never see my friends or family, never see my pets, and never see the forest I called home.

Silent tears streaming down my face, I rolled back over, crying silently. I curled up, and it helped with some of the hurt that was in my chest. My tears soaked the pillow, and my vision was all wavy now that it had adjusted to the dark.

My nose running, I finally cried myself out, and the room was starting to get brighter. Rolling back over again, I could see the pale glow that signaled the sun rising, and I watched it, taking comfort in the ritual thing that happened every day. The routine comforted me, and it was all I had now.

"If you're awake, get up. You will not lay in bed all morning."

I looked toward the voice and had a sudden, daring thought of defying him, causing him to release me from this prison. Maybe if I ignored his command, he would kill me?

However, as the coward I was, I only put my feet on the cold floor and stood, wobbling slightly as the blood rushed out of my head and my vision faded over for a second. It came back, and I could see Sasori watching me, a neutral expression on his face.

"You wake at this time every day?"

I nodded, estimating it was around five by the way the sun was rising. Besides, I didn't feel very tired physically, so I guessed it was around that time.

"Good. There is a red toothbrush on the bathroom sink. You may use that while you are here. Hurry and get ready, then you will cook."

I nodded again, following his gesture into a small room. A torch suddenly flared up, and I jumped and gasped, looking at it. When my heart calmed again, I turned to the toilet, feeling an overwhelming urge to pee. Really bad.

Finished, I stood and walked to the sink, turning on the water and grabbing the bar of soap to scrub with. I spotted a tube of something, and a cautious sniff told me it was toothpaste. It carried the same medical scent to it.

Spotting the red toothbrush by the hairbrush, I grabbed it and squeezed toothpaste on, running it under the water for a brief moment to brush my teeth. I spit out the foam and scrubbed my tongue, trying not to gag.

When I was done, I rinsed off my brush and rinsed out the sink, shutting off the water after I had gotten a drink, not knowing when I would be able to drink again. It tasted pure, like the water at my grandparents'. They had their own private well, far away from everyone, so the water tasted clean.

I looked at the hairbrush tempting me, but sighed and turned away. I wasn't told I could use it, and I had a feeling I was lucky to be alive. No need to push my limited amount of luck.

I instead just took the hair-tie from my wrist and put my hair into a quick ponytail, walking out as I did so. Sasori was waiting impatiently, and I cringed at his expression. Glaring at me, he turned to Deidara, who was drooling on his pillow while he slept.

"Deidara."

Deidara only mumbled a bit and squeezed the pillow tighter, scrunching his eyes shut. Sasori growled, vibrating my bones at the pitch.

"Deidara, up. Now."

"Danna, I don't want to", the blond whined, acting like a teenager. Sasori gave him a flat look, then did something with his fingers that caused the blanket to fly off him. I cringed away at the strange force, but it didn't seem to harm me.

Deidara bolted upright, hands going to his side. Calming down, he turned his head and glared at Sasori, before turning his eyes to me.

I cringed, seeing the menace in his gaze. Great, yet another way to piss people off.

Sasori only walked out of the room, leaving me with nothing to do but follow him, Deidara soon after. With one ahead and one behind, I felt like a convict being transported between locations. Which I might have been, for all I knew.

I was lead to the kitchen again, and Sasori grunted before speaking.

"You will cook for us. You may use anything found in this kitchen to cook."

I didn't want to speak, but I really had to.

"How many do I have to cook for?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes averted.

Sasori actually looked at me like I did something right, then answered, "You will be cooking for five."

I nodded, then headed hesitantly to the fridge, making sure I was allowed to move. When they did nothing but stand and watch me, I padded over to the fridge, feet lightly thudding against the stone floor.

I opened the door of the fridge, grimacing slightly at the smell that emerged. Okay, first thing I was doing when I had free time was cleaning out this fridge.

I couldn't really see anything I could cook. The meat was slightly green-looking, and most of the other food was definitely rotten beyond saving. Looking at the hardened loaves of bread, the little voice in my head began whispering something to me, trying to tell me what to do.

I furrowed my brow and tried to focus on it, knowing it was trying to help me. But, as always, I couldn't clearly hear it. Sighing, I looked again at the bread, knowing it was useful but not able to figure out how. The smell of French fries filled my nose, and I sniffed once in memory of the smell, wondering where it was coming from. The voice grew slightly louder, and I tried thinking what message it was trying to send me. French fries, French…..

My eyes widened. French toast! Even with the bread hardened, I would still be able to use it for French toast!

I eagerly looked in the fridge for eggs, and the little voice gave me a mental pat on the head, praising me. However, as hard as I looked, I could not see any eggs, rotten or not. Not having any other plan, I resigned myself to asking Sasori.

"Sasori….?"

"What is it?" he growled, and I flinched.

"Um….. do you have any, uh….. eggs?" I asked, cringing away. He only gave me an expressionless look, then said something to Deidara. The low, gravelly voice mixed with the unusual accent made it almost impossible to understand, and I could only catch a few words here and there.

Deidara looked at me angrily, then headed out of the room, turning in a direction I haven't yet traveled. While he was gone, I began looking for the cooking utensils I would need. A large mixing bowl, a frying pan, a fork, and a spatula. Looking around at the many cupboards, I sighed. Great.

"What are you looking for?"

I jumped at Sasori's voice directly behind me, and I turned to look at him.

His eyes seemed more neutral than how they had been before, and I felt myself loosen up.

"Um, I need a large bowl, a frying pan, a spatula, and a fork. If you have them", I added quickly, not wanting to seem too demanding.

He looked up at me, and said, "When you speak to me, I expect your voice to be louder and strong. No more 'ums' and 'uhs'. You are now a student of the Akatsuki, and you will act as such. You will also address me as Master Sasori, or Sasori-sensei. Understood?"

I nodded, but a flat look caused me to hurriedly say, "Yes, Master Sasori."

"Good. Now, you will find what you're looking for in the cupboard two doors left of the sink, on the bottom, and the drawer to the right of the sink. I do not know what this 'fork' is of which you speak, but I am presuming it is a utensil similar to what you brought here with us, correct?"

"It is slightly different, Master Sasori. What I had was a spoon. A fork has tines to stab your food with."

"What odd utensils you have in your universe."

I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"What is this 'fork' needed for? We might have something to replace it."

"I only really need it to take the bread out of the batter. If you have something else I can use, I will use that instead, Sasori-sensei."

In response, he only shuffled forward, heading for the cupboards. I followed him, not knowing what he was going for. He stopped his forward shuffle in front of a drawer, and it opened without him touching it. I was startled at that, but after seeing the things these people could do, it wasn't affecting me as much anymore.

"I believe you will find what you need in there."

I looked in, and saw a few tools that looked similar to forks. Not exactly, but close enough where I could use it.

I grinned, then softly said, "Thank you, Master Sasori."

He only grunted, and shuffled back to where he had been watching me, while I pulled out the rest of the items I would need. Deidara came in then, carrying a few dirty eggs, a few bleeding spots on his hands.

"This better be enough, un."

Looking at them, I smiled softly and said, "Thank you, it's enough."

He only grunted and set them down on the counter, where I proceeded to wash them. From the way they were filthy, I could tell they were just gathered from the hens themselves, and the marks on Deidara's hands only helped to prove the fact. I was grateful I lived on a farm. I had a feeling the knowledge I had gained there would serve me well here.

Once the eggs were clean, I cracked them into the bowl I had grabbed. I mixed them up, slightly disappointed I had not found any cinnamon. While I could cook without it, French toast tasted better when cinnamon was used in the batter. However, when the batter was prepared, I only dropped a few pieces of bread into it, letting it soak while I turned to the stove.

I could hear Deidara asking Sasori something in the background, but I ignored him in favor of trying to get the flames on the stove at just the right level. They couldn't be too high, or it would burn, but too low and it would take forever to cook. When I had judged them to be at the appropriate height, I tossed the now-soaked bread into the pan, listening to it sizzle while I pawed through the cupboards looking for a plate to put them on when they were done.

In my search, I discovered a jar of some brown, thick liquid. Curious as always, I undid the cover to sniff the contents. I grinned as soon as I did. Wow, I had actually managed to find syrup, and from the thickness, it was the good stuff, actual maple syrup.

I put that down on the table along with the plate I had found, and used the spatula to flip the bread in the pan, tossing some more pieces in the batter to soak.

"What are you doing, un? Trying to poison us?"

I stiffened and turned to Deidara, keeping my head low. Sasori growled.

"Deidara, I was watching her the entire time. While the food is unusual to us, it has not been poisoned. The only thing she has used is egg and bread."

Deidara only gave me a glare, but allowed me to continue. Turning back to the frying pan, I pulled the pieces in there out and put more in, the smell wafting through the kitchen. Sasori seemed unaffected, but Deidara sniffed a couple times, seeming appeased. It was obviously an exotic dish to them, but at least I wasn't being accused of poisoning them. Now I could only hope it tasted good, so I wouldn't be killed.

When all of it was finally cooked, the amount I was hoping was enough for the five I was cooking for. While it was enough for what I eat five times, they could eat more than me. Or, they could eat less, and there would be too much. Either way, I had a feeling it was bad.

"Master Sasori, I'm finished."

He only nodded, and I staggered as something hit me. It wasn't physical, but more like when you're standing next to speakers and they suddenly blare out a loud shriek. The pressure collided with my brain, and I gave a half-strangled scream until it passed, and I only fell to the ground, shaking with exhaustion. Unknowingly, my body had been tensed up, and the energy it took to keep my muscles locked was apparently immense.

Deidara gave me a disdainful look, then headed for the table, sitting in a chair while Sasori stayed where he was, watching me.

Others walked into the room, and I watched them file in after I managed to stand again. There was the one I had attacked, I think they said his name was Hidar? Hidab? Well, whatever it was, I watched him walk in, muttering angrily to himself. The one that had watched me in the strange hospital was behind him, strange eyes glaring at me for a reason unknown to me.

They looked at the odd food, and I started to slink behind Sasori when another walked in.

He was the 'leader' of the night before, and now I could clearly see his face. He had rows of piercings on his face, and looking at him, I also recognized him from the hospital as well. He had come in with Sasori when I woke up.

He merely looked at me, and I felt a shiver pass through my body. I just didn't like him. No, I was scared of him.

They all sat at the table, and there was an awkward silence while they all looked at me, as if waiting. Finally Sasori growled.

"You're eating too. You have a lot of work ahead of you today."

I only nodded, walking hesitantly forward to the chair the farthest away from the rest. Feeling their gazes on me, I kept my face looking down as I sat, feeling miserable.

"Oi, what the fuck is this? Seriously, how do you eat it?"

I looked up to Hidan- hey, I finally remembered his name! Oh, right. He was looking at me and gesturing to the food, and I gave myself a mental slap. Of course they wouldn't know how to eat it.

Remembering what Sasori had said about not stuttering, I quietly said, "You cut it up and dip it in syrup. Or, you can just pour syrup on it and eat it."

They gave me odd looks.

"What the fuck kind of food is that?"

I blushed.

"It's a standard breakfast food where I'm from. It….. tastes better than it sounds."

They looked at me doubtfully, but put a slice on their plates, hesitantly pouring syrup over it. They gave the make-shift 'forks' an odd look, but put bites in their mouths while I hesitantly reached by Deidara to grab a slice for myself.

They were hesitant, but at least seemed to like it. Hidan obviously did, as he scarfed his down, reaching for more when he was finished. The one that had come with him, the one with the odd eyes, just ate it mechanically, like a kid that was enjoying his vegetables but refused to admit it. Deidara only talked with the leader quietly while I ate my first few bites, warily watching the rest of them. They didn't seem to hate it, but I didn't trust these people.

The leader kept his odd gaze on me the entire time, and I felt myself automatically tense, miserable. The food no longer seemed appetizing, and while I knew I was going to be working and didn't know when I was going to eat next, I stopped eating after the first slice. I wasn't hungry anymore.

When they all finished, they left the room, Hidan muttering about how it was too early for someone to cook breakfast and wake him up. When they all left, Sasori and the leader conversed for a few minutes while I waited, hands folded behind my back. They finished talking, and the leader left the room while Sasori turned back to me.

"You will clean up, and then we will discuss various matters as they pertain to you. Understood?"

"Yes Master Sasori."

I picked up the dishes and carried them to the sink, piling them in. Another good thing about making French toast was that it didn't make too much for dishes to clean.

After gathering the many dishes, I looked around for soap, not finding any.

"Master Sasori?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any soap to clean these with?"

He looked at me, then walked over, pulling a few odd things out of a basket next to the sink.

"You know how to prepare soaproot, correct?"

"Yes", I breathed, grateful I was one of those nuts that actually studied various plants and their uses, not just vegetables. Taking the roots, I found a small, fist-sized rock and grabbed it. Getting the roots wet, I took the rock and began pounding them, causing soap-like suds to emerge from them. While it wasn't as strong as our soap, and tended to dry out skin, it would work quite well.

When I had gotten enough of the suds out, I set them to the side, grabbing a dishrag to wash with. The plates cleaned easily, syrup just rubbing off them. When they were put in the strainer, I washed the other dishes, drying them and putting them away when I was finished.

Hands wrinkled, I turned to Sasori.

"I'm finished."

He grunted, and began walking out, me following. It was only when I judged us to be halfway back to the room when I realized something.

"Master Sasori, are you going to eat anything?"

"No", he replied grumpily, and I shut my mouth. It was obvious I was starting to annoy him, and so far, he was my only ally, if I could call him that. We walked into the room, and I noticed Deidara absent, though I didn't say anything. I highly doubted these people spent all their time in their rooms anyways.

"Sit on the bed."

I obeyed his short order, sitting cross-legged on the bed, ready to discuss whatever it was he wanted to talk about. He shuffled around to face me, and I had a feeling what he was going to ask had a lot to do with what was going to happen to me.

"Now Tally, what do you know about chakra?"


	3. Chapter 3

I frowned.

"Chakra?"

Sasori sighed.

"I take it nothing, then."

I shook my head no, agreeing with him. Was it somehow related to these 'jutsu' he had been telling me about?

"Tell me, Tally, what does your universe use for weapons?"

I looked at him, confused, then answered, "We use guns, missiles, biological weapons, things like that. To tell the truth, Master Sasori, I haven't really kept up with the modern weaponry. They keep developing weapons faster than I can figure out what they're for."

"So yours is a society based on warfare?"

I frowned, but had to agree. It seemed everything in my universe now centered on wars. But when he put it like that….. wow, we were pathetic.

"That's a world like ours, Tally, only we don't have these 'guns' and 'missiles' you were talking about. We use ourselves as weapons, and we use chakra to do that."

"What's chakra?" I asked before I could stop myself, and gave myself a mental face-palm. Brilliant, interrupt the talking killer.

"Chakra is a life-force that fills our body. We can manipulate it and bend it to our will. We can tell you have chakra, Tally, but it appears you have no clue how to use it. While you are here, I am going to teach you this, and then you will become a member of Akatsuki."

"I've heard you say that before. What is Akatsuki?"

He glared at me, and I hurriedly shut my mouth. Apparently, I had missed something major.

"We are all members of Akatsuki. Interrupt me one more time, and I will give you the most painful poison I have."

I gulped and nodded. Oops, I had interrupted once too many times. And now I was on more than one person's shit-list. Fantastic.

"We believe we have found a technique that you can use, based on your drawings. Before you are through here, you will either die, or learn to bring your drawings to life."

I froze, both mind and body, only his last few words echoing around in my head. Bring your drawings to life……bring your drawings to life……bring your drawings to life…..

I shook my head, clearing the echo.

"That's impossible."

"I can prove it is not. Draw something."

He handed me a piece of paper and a pencil, looking at me impatiently. I laid it down on the table, then thought for a brief moment before quickly drawing a simple wolf, handing it to him when I was done.

He practically yanked the paper out of my hands, then set it on the floor in front of him. He did something with his hands, too fast for me to follow, and touched the drawing once. A poof of smoke emerged in the room, and I coughed and waved my hands in front of my face to clear it, wondering if he had managed to set the drawing on fire.

However, when I was finally able to see again, my jaw dropped. Standing on a blank piece of paper was a wolf, the size of a small horse.

It looked at me, then sat, watching Sasori carefully.

"Because I was the one who summoned it, it will obey my commands. You will learn to summon them on your own, and you will use them to fight."

I was too busy gaping at the wolf to pay much attention to his words. I reached a hand out, and it sniffed it once before allowing me to touch it. I pet its 'fur', and only noticed the papery skin, crinkling when I put pressure on it.

I stared in wonder at the wolf, hearing Sasori in the background but not listening, like when my chemistry teacher droned on and on. The words entered my head, but only took a temporary residence, as absorbed as I was. It was probably dangerous, to do so, but I was absorbed in the wolf I had drawn that had somehow, by some twist of fate, come to life.

The next thing I knew, there was a flash of white spreading across my vision, pain echoing through my head. I was knocked to the floor, crying out, and when my vision came back, I looked up to Sasori, cringing away from his glare and scuttling across the floor away from him.

"If you ignore me again, brat, I will kill you."

I only gulped fearfully, crouched on all fours. His eyes flashed a fire, and then he moved his hands again, some strange force locking my body and moving me against my will.

I of course panicked, trying to resist the force that moved my body. However, the motions of Sasori's hands kept me moving like a marionette, and I was unable to resist as he moved my body back to the bed.

Fear bubbled up in my throat, and I clamped my jaws to keep from voicing a cry. I was thought low enough as it was.

When I was back on the bed, I felt the force release me, and I sagged, choking back sobs. I hated it. I hated the feeling of having no control, unable to resist as he forced me to move. And I was determined to learn how to break his control.

Sasori's glare quelled my swift anger, it flowing away like a flood that had found release. I knew that now I could pay attention, if only to beat these people and find my way back home. I only had to learn for a bit.

And so, two hours later, I found myself trying to summon this 'chakra' from my body. We had been at it for almost an hour now, and sweat ran down my forehead from my concentration. Sasori continued trying to give me pointers, but it was like telling a person who had never seen how to color-coordinate a room. Eh, maybe not my best example.

He kept telling me that it was kept in a corner of my mind, but the only 'corners' I could find is where the little voice in my head lived, and she did NOT appreciate me knocking at her door. All I ended up getting was a mental bitch-slap and a headache.

Finally, after three hours of me just staring into empty space, Sasori gave up.

"Obviously, you're not getting it. Follow me, we're trying something else."

I could hear the disappointment in his voice, and I wondered where it had come from. What exactly had he expected of me? I was a geek at school, hardly athletic enough to participate in sports, though I loved hiking and running for fun, and my contacts were burning my eyes. Yeah, sleeping with them in was not the best idea, but I had nowhere to put them.

We walked for a long while, and finally entered a huge, dim chamber, large enough to dwarf the high school gym. I stopped and stared for a bit, not used to seeing something this large, then shook my head and hurried after Sasori, not wanting to be on the bad side of his temper again. My head still rung.

"What is the farthest distance you can run?"

I furrowed my brow.

"I could probably run a mile before I collapse."

He stared at me.

"How long is a mile?"

I actually had to stop and think. I looked to the other side of the cavern, and saw two others fighting, though I couldn't tell who they were from the distance.

"Maybe….. twice the length of this cavern?" I guessed, mentally calculating the distance.

I heard a laugh from behind me, and I turned to see Deidara.

"That's it, un? That's all you can run? How pathetic."

I only hunched my shoulders, looking to the side. Deidara always made me do this, with his degrading comments. I hated him for it. Wow, I was going through a lot of hate lately.

"Deidara, from what I've gathered, her universe is one where they create weapons to fight for them. They don't need to be in shape."

After listening to Sasori's voice for the past few hours, understanding the accent became easier. I cheered up slightly from what he said, only to be quickly let down again.

"Which is why I'm going to have to get her into shape fast. Leader won't wait too long for her. He gave me six months to get her to fighting shape."

I didn't need to ask 'or what?'. I knew what would happen to me. A slip of the knife, and look, no more Tally. And to think I had been planning on going to college. So much for that dream.

"Tally, get running. You are to run until you fall, you will rest and try again at chakra, and then you will run again. Get moving."

I stared at him for a second, not believing, but a single, low growl got my ass moving. To be safe, I kept away from the fighting duo, so I wouldn't be caught in the cross fire.

I started a steady lope, one I could keep up for a while. The most running in one shot I had done before was chasing after my brother when he stole my headphones, and I had caught him after a quarter mile when he was gasping for breath. So yeah, I didn't really run much. And now I had to run until I collapsed. That sounded like it would hurt. I didn't want to hurt.

However, I was quickly panting for breath, despite how much I tried to pace my breaths. I knew Deidara was watching me, so I kept at my same pace, but when my vision started fading over I knew I was done. Thoughts seemed like a dream, and the only thing my mind could think of was running, running, running, like it was all I had been meant to do with my life. Maybe I had been born running. Was that a possibility? What was possible any more? Sight didn't seem possible. Neither did hearing. The only thing I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud….

As I considered the possibility of sound ever existing, my world went dark.

I didn't know how long I was out, but it was long enough for someone to move me back to the other room and place me back on my bed.

I groaned and sat up, muscles feeling like lead. Scratch that, burning lead. Ow, I never knew I could hurt this much. Like, OW.

"It's about time you woke up. You've been out for almost a half hour."

I groaned again and opened my eyes, forcing my blurry vision to focus on Sasori's back, absently noting how the desk he was at was almost taller than him. Heh-heh, Master Sasori's a troll.

"Get up, you're going back to chakra. You can drink some water if you need it, and then you are back here."

He had to mention water. As soon as the syllables escaped his mouth, I became aware of the desert in my mouth, and I panted, eyes focused on the dark doorway to the bathroom, still managing to listen to his words. Yes, I had learned my lesson. Painfully.

As soon as I could, I stumbled to my feet and headed for the doorway, legs feeling like weights had been tied to them. I tripped through the door, ignoring the torch that burst into flame, and gulped as much water as my body could hold from the tap. The cool liquid slaked the fire in my throat, and all the sand was washed down, leaving it feeling cool and moist. Thank whatever god existed.

Pleased, I walked back into the room, stomach sloshing happily. I felt so much better, and my muscles didn't hurt as much.

"Sit back down and start trying to find your chakra again."

I frowned at Sasori's back, but dutifully walked to my bed, hissing as I forced my legs into a cross-legged position. I closed my eyes, and began searching for a little space in my mind that didn't have any use that I was aware of. Again, I automatically went to the space where the voice lived, but a low growling sent me away, afraid. Yes, I had two personalities, but my 'other' didn't really do much, just help me when I need it, and give me the occasional mood swing. Either that, or I was crazy. But I've known that.

I searched through my consciousness, looking for the little node of power Sasori was telling me about. I could dimly hear his voice, but I had withdrawn so far into myself I couldn't clearly hear him. I was in the space I went when life became too much, where nothing existed but me. It was such a nice place….

I was roused out of that state by Sasori shaking me, and I grumpily opened an eye.

"I said search your mind, not meditate. Try again."

I sighed and closed my eyes, mentally 'looking' toward my alter ego first, annoying her. She didn't like when I came over.

I was searching through all my memories, thinking maybe it hiding in there, when I was again shaken by Sasori.

"Obviously, you can't find it. Up, you're running again."

I knew better than to groan and argue, but I physically paled when I heard that. Not again!

However, he only started walking, and I forced my leaden legs after him. Good god, the pulling muscles, which I thought felt so good this morning, felt like fire was in my legs. I had never exercised that much ever, and now I had to go back to it. Just kill me now.

It seemed to take longer to walk back to the cavern, but maybe it was because I was trying to keep whimpers of pain from escaping my mouth. As it was, I was constantly hissing.

Finally, we walked through the dark doorway, and I saw that this time it was empty.

"Start running. I don't care how much your legs hurt, get moving."

I whimpered once, softly, then began forcing my legs to start moving. My muscles revolted against me, until my motions loosened them up, and moving became easier. I was slightly surprised from this, but then I remembered my high school biology class. The heavy feeling I had in my legs was a buildup of lactic acid, and by moving the muscles again, I was allowing the acid to drain, and letting the muscles get more oxygen. Even so, they were still sore from disuse.

Once I started feeling tired, I adjusted my lope again, to travel at nearly the same speed but with less energy. My downward movement from my steps was reflected from my ankles, and the tendons would force my foot up again. Don't think I'm actually this smart, because I'm not. I just have a fascination with muscle structure.

However, I knew that me running fine was too good to be true. On one step, just when I was beginning to gasp for air, my ankle twisted just enough in the wrong way to allow my Achilles' tendon to slip out of its path, and I fell to the ground, screeching with pain.

Sasori walked over, looking oddly at me, but I was too focused in trying to pull the pain from my ankle. I could feel the tendon slip back into place, but it still hurt, and I bit my lip, trying to keep the tears in my eyes. The offending ankle was swelling to the size of a baseball, and I tried to elevate it without bending it much.

"What happened?"

"I twisted my ankle", I replied, hissing out the words.

"This happens often?" he asked, eyes narrowing. I knew better than to lie.

"Yes. I was born with a slight skeletal deformity. My ankle sprains easily."

As I said that, I remained trying to choke back my tears, not wanting to seem weak, but it was a fruitless task. My eyes betrayed me and leaked water down my face, and I hugged my knees to my chest, being careful to keep my foot from touching the ground.

Sasori frowned, but reached down with arms way too long for his body and picked me up. I of course struggled with surprise, but he ignored my efforts and flung me over his back, and oddly enough, I could feel a hard surface. Maybe he wore armor under the cloak?

He carried me back through the tunnels, and I was glad beyond belief that we encountered no one. That would be hell, being seen while being carried by someone that was half as tall as I was. What a day that would be.

I frowned. My brain and too much empty time were a horrible combination. It obviously couldn't shut up.

We finally reached the room in what seemed like way too fast for his legs to move, but who was I to speak?

We, or rather he, walked through the door, and I could kinda see past Sasori's back to notice Deidara. I could hear my voice in my head ask me a question, and I thought back 'Absolutely fucking ecstatic. What the fuck do you think I'm feeling right now?!'

Needless to say, that got her to shut up. Great, I just lost my only conversation for a while.

"What the hell happened to her, un?"

"Sprained her ankle."

I cringed at the venom in Sasori's voice. Yes, now my day couldn't get any better! Not.

"Are you serious, un? Sprained her ankle? Doing what?"

"Running", I muttered, and he apparently was used enough to my accent to understand that, as he started laughing. I felt my face go crimson, and I buried it in Sasori's cloaked back. It lasted all of two seconds before he flopped me forward on the bed, me landing on my back with a "huff!" and making sure my ankle didn't touch anything.

He walked out of the room, leaving me with the blond. We stared at a wall for a majority of the time, him snickering every now and then, until he finally spoke to me.

"So, outsider, how do you like it here so far?"

"To tell the truth, there are moments when I hope to god this is just a horrible dream."

"Is it really that bad here, un?"

I could only stare at him until the door opened again, and Sasori walked in, followed by the one with the odd eyes that had been in the hospital with me, the one who could seem to only look at me with glares. Such as now.

"You sprained your ankle?" his thick voice rumbled, and I had to pause a moment to decipher the words before I nodded, trying to shrink into the bed.

He walked over, and with a swift motion grabbed my ankle with his callused hands, and I yelped softly both at the speed he showed and at the motion jostling my foot.

His eyes flicked up to my face, trying to kill me with a glance, silencing me. My inner voice chastised me for being so cowardly, and I started to dare her to say something before I remembered that she WOULD say something that would probably get me killed.

As rough as he seemed at first, however, the odd-eyed guy was gentle with my ankle, feeling it gently for any internal problems. When he seemed to find nothing wrong, he placed one hand on each side of the joint and hooded his eyes slightly, hands glowing green.

I jumped when I felt a sharp pinprick travel through my ankle, but I relaxed when it started feeling better, like it was healing under his touch. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, muttering something to Sasori before leaving the room.

Sasori turned to me grumpily, and said, "You are not to be on your feet until I finish making a brace for your ankle. In the meantime, you are to continue trying to find your source of chakra."

I nodded and tenderly set my foot down, wondering at what the other one had done to make it feel better. It was almost as if it was perfectly healed, though I knew that wasn't the case. It was impossible, right?

However, my inner voice yet again ruined my peaceful world by reminding me of how these people seemed to make the impossible possible. You know what, inner voice? Screw you. Let me be happy in my own little world. At least things make sense there.

I sighed and again closed my eyes, looking for the 'inner power'. The only 'inner power' I had was when I ate a bean burrito and we had to evacuate the living room, me laughing on the couch. Okay, so what, I'm not the most lady-like female ever. I had four brothers, blame them.

Once again, my little thought-probe went to my inner voice, and she snarled at me again, pretty much telling me to 'back the fuck off'. I had a flash of yellow eyes in my mind, and I furrowed my brow. Okay, this was new. Since when did she have a shape? She was just the voice, when did she get eyes?

She remained hidden, and I spent the rest of the time with my eyes closed trying to get her to show herself again. She stubbornly evaded my attempts, and I gave up when I felt someone tap my shoulder impatiently.

"Put this brace on and see if it fits."

I accepted the crude brace from Sasori, acknowledging its remarkable craftsmanship. Obviously, Sasori knew what he doing.

I slipped it around my ankle, lining up the bulge with the joint. I had a brace at home, I just never used it.

It was almost a perfect fit (somehow, the swelling had gone down), except for the sides were a little sharp and dug into my leg. Before I could comment, Sasori took it back, yanking it from my hands and walking back to his desk, muttering.

I stared after him, head tilted slightly to the side, and watched him work, observing how he smoothed the wood down with sandpaper. I had done well in woodshop, but this was a skill unheard of in my world. He was doing in minutes what would take one of our best days. Amazing, really.

He brought it back, and I again lined it up with my ankle, him watching with observant eyes. When he could see no more flaws, he again brought it back to his desk, sanding it down once more before attaching some straps to it, to secure it to my lower leg. Once he was done, I fastened it around my calf muscle, pleased at how it still allowed flexibility.

"You are to wear that whenever you are on your feet. Only remove it when you sleep."

He waited to see my nod of acquiescence, his glare earning a hurried, "Yes, Master Sasori."

"Get up, you're making lunch."

I stood and followed him out the door, trying to plan just what I could cook with the rotten food in the fridge.


	4. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Sorry guys, but I won't be able to update for a long while. I know I've been gone for forever too, and I'm sorry I couldn't give you much warning. But it was really something out of my control.

See, my laptop unexpectedly died, and I won't be able to repair it. I lost everything I had on it, which means all the work on new chapters of stories. I can't repair it, and I'll have to buy a new one.

In order to raise money for that, I am accepting art commissions on deviantArt. I'm trying to run them cheap, and I can give you all my information there (my username is the same as the one here). Or, you can contact me through my email at . If you go to my deviantArt page (.com), you can find examples of my artwork. But I won't be able to write for a while. I'm sorry.


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